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I wanted to share some information about a common visitor to my yard. Next week I will talk about how I had need of a white-tailed deer wildlife rehabber some two years ago now. White-tailed deer are hunted, but they are not hunted in my town as it is suburban and it would be dangerous. Since my experience with this one deer and with Lorraine the rehabber my appreciation for these wonderful creatures has led me to learn more about them and to even take a class on wildlife rehabilitation for white-tailed deer which was concerned with fawns.

COMMON NAME: White-Tailed Deer

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Odocoileus virginianus

TYPE: Mammals

DIET: Herbivore

GROUP NAME: Herd

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN CAPTIVITY: 6 to 14 years

SIZE: 6 to 7.75 feet

WEIGHT: 110 to 300 pounds

SIZE RELATIVE TO A 6-FT MAN:

Deer are part of the Cervidae family that include moose, reindeer, elk and other species. White-tailed deer, the smallest members of the North American deer family, are found from southern Canada to South America. In the heat of summer they typically inhabit fields and meadows using clumps of broad-leaved and coniferous forests for shade. During the winter they generally keep to forests, preferring coniferous stands that provide shelter from the harsh elements.

FACTS ABOUT WHITE-TAILED DEER

Information compiled from the book “Whitetail Savvy” by Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III. These are photos that are from that book.

1. Don’t be a fawn-napper

deer fawn

White-tailed Deer fawns are born April through July, with the majority of fawns born in June. Most first-year does will have one fawn each year, but twins or triplets are typically seen thereafter.

Until they are strong enough to keep up with their mothers, deer fawns are left alone while their mothers go off to feed. Mother deer will stay away from the fawns to avoid leading predators to their young. Does return at dawn and dusk to feed and/or move their young.

Fawns are typically left in an area with tall grass or bushes, but sometimes they are left in more open areas, including backyards. Older deer fawn may wander short distances.

Well-meaning humans often assume that because a fawn is alone it must be an orphan, leading to numerous fawn “kidnappings” each year.

2. Deer are well-insulated.

The hollow, reddish-brown winter hair of the deer’s coat provides excellent insulation, preventing loss of body heat, while also keeping the snow from melting. This proves especially useful in Canada and the northern United States.

3. Deer eat a lot.

Being an herbivore has its advantages and disadvantages for whitetails. On average, a deer needs to eat about 8 pounds of vegetation, per 100 pounds of body weight, per day.

A 150-pound deer needs to eat 12 pounds of food in a 24-hour period over most of the year. That’s a lot of acorns and grass!

4. Deer sleep even more.

Over most of the year, whitetails remain bedded 60-70 percent of the time, usually feeding five times every 24 hours.

5. Deer have the same number of teeth as humans.

Like a human, an adult deer has 32 teeth. The wear on an adult’s teeth throughout their lifespan can indicate how old the deer is.

However, a deer has no upper teeth in the front of its mouth; the space is instead filled with a hard-surfaced pad of gristle.

6. A number of factors influence a deer’s antler growth.

A deer’s antlers are a result of three factors: nutritious food, increasing buck age and good genes.

The shape and configuration of the antlers is strictly genetic.

7. Chin whiskers tell deer exactly how far from the ground their lips are when feeding.

Most of their browsing occurs on the forest floor, so deer have a special mechanism for determining their head’s position in relation to the ground.

8. Buck antlers grow quickly.

Adult buck antlers start to grow around the last of March or early April, and grow at the rate of about a quarter-inch per day.

Younger bucks begin growing their antlers a little later, and theirs grow at a slower rate. Deer populations with strong antler growth and development translate to overall good herd health.

9. Sparring isn’t only a matter of establishing dominance.

Sparring is an activity bucks partake in to test one another for dominance, yes. But it also serves to develop the muscles and skills they’ll need if they should actually have to fight during the breeding season, when female deer on in their crosshairs.

Sparring is also a reaffirmation of the status quo in each fraternal group and prevents actual fights from having to take place, which could cause severe injuries, if not death.

10. Bucks put on miles to pursue does.

During the rutting season, a male deer will lose up to 25 percent of its body weight from the constant seeking and chasing of does during mating season.